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Adult Autism and Jobs

NAS62900

Hi, I’m 20 years old female and I am waiting for a referral to be assessed for Autism. When I told my mum and dad this, they are very against me getting the diagnosis because they say that if I do get diagnosed (as high functioning autism) as soon as an employer sees that I’m autistic I will ‘go straight to bottom of pile’. And that I won’t pass medicals for the jobs as it will say autistic on my records. I work in theatre as a dresser / stage crew. I’m worried that if I do I won’t get jobs as the stereotype of autism is not be able to talk to people, (I do talk, I just mask what’s going on inside my head).

 Has anyone been that they know of discriminated against because of their autism? 

And do you think I should still get a diagnosis?

Parents

  • My parents are similar to yours regarding letting me get diagnosed. I think it's quite unfortunate that so many employers think a diagnosis is a negative thing and that they are less likely to hire an autistic person. But it sounds like your main goal of getting a diagnosis is for self-understanding. You say that you are able to talk to people during work, and you are currently working in theatre already, so it doesn't seem like an additional diagnosis will change this. But I think it's quite important that if you do get a diagnosis, to think carefully who you tell, as once you tell someone, you can't go back and change your mind. Different people react very differently, some might be highly understanding and willing to give reasonable adjustments, while others may see you as less able and deprive you of opportunities. You may be interested in looking at this thread which has a lot of posts about other people's experiences of disclosing at work.

    https://community.autism.org.uk/f/adults-on-the-autistic-spectrum/15386/question-about-disclosing-at-work/110774#110774

Reply

  • My parents are similar to yours regarding letting me get diagnosed. I think it's quite unfortunate that so many employers think a diagnosis is a negative thing and that they are less likely to hire an autistic person. But it sounds like your main goal of getting a diagnosis is for self-understanding. You say that you are able to talk to people during work, and you are currently working in theatre already, so it doesn't seem like an additional diagnosis will change this. But I think it's quite important that if you do get a diagnosis, to think carefully who you tell, as once you tell someone, you can't go back and change your mind. Different people react very differently, some might be highly understanding and willing to give reasonable adjustments, while others may see you as less able and deprive you of opportunities. You may be interested in looking at this thread which has a lot of posts about other people's experiences of disclosing at work.

    https://community.autism.org.uk/f/adults-on-the-autistic-spectrum/15386/question-about-disclosing-at-work/110774#110774

Children